Morphemes in “naturally”
“naturally” has 3 morphemes: nature + -al + -ly.
natur
root
+
al
suffix
+
ly
suffix
Spelling changes when the parts join: the boxes show the letters as written; the morphemes themselves are nature + -al + -ly.
Each morpheme explained
| Morpheme | Type | Free / bound | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| nature (written natur) | free root | free | the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized |
| -al | derivational suffix | bound | relating to, of the kind of |
| -ly | derivational suffix | bound | in the manner of; every (as in daily) |
How the word is built
nature → natural → naturally
Each step adds one affix to the word before it; the root “nature” is where the chain starts.
Syllables and stress in “naturally” →
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Segmentation derived from MorphyNet (Batsuren, Bella & Giunchiglia, 2021; CC BY-SA 3.0, built from Wiktionary), with hand-written affix glosses and root meanings from WordNet. Reviewed for classroom use; tell us if you spot an error.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many morphemes are in "naturally"?
"naturally" has three morphemes: nature + -al + -ly.
How do you break "naturally" into morphemes?
nature + -al + -ly. The root is "nature"; -al is a derivational suffix, -ly is a derivational suffix.
What is the root word of "naturally"?
The root of "naturally" is "nature", built up as nature → natural → naturally.
Is this morphology tool free?
Yes. The Fixie morphological analyzer is free with no signup and runs in your browser.